Calming Anxiety | Guided Meditation, Sleep Hypnosis & Panic Attack Relief

The Whirlpool by Lord Dunsany — A Dreamlike Sea Fable of the Happy Isles for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off with The Whirlpool by Lord Dunsany, a short, dreamlike fantasy of the sea, ancient gods and the Happy Isles, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.

 

Going down one day to the shore of the great sea, our storyteller comes upon the Whirlpool himself, lying on the sand and stretching his huge limbs in the sun. "Who art thou?" he asks. And the giant tells his tale.

 

For a hundred years at a time, he stands on the ocean floor, midway between two cliffs, guarding the straits against every ship that seeks the further seas. He takes the waters in both hands and whirls them around his head, as the tall ships come gliding on with their sailors singing. In their last cry he hears all their songs and hopes and loves, and even the wind in the forests where their timbers grew.

 

But once in every hundred years, for one day only, he rests on the shore and leaves the straits unguarded. Then the ships may sail through and find the Happy Isles, where no time comes with its devouring hours, and where the sailors long for nothing. It's a place of sunlit seas and orchards high on the hills, where the souls of the sailors return every night to rest while they sleep. And why must the Whirlpool go back at sunset? Dunsany keeps his answer for the very last line.

 

This classic short story for adults is a rich, atmospheric wind-down for a busy mind, with the rhythm of the sea, Dunsany's mythic, almost biblical prose and Martin's calm, unhurried narration. It has a sad, serious edge beneath its beauty, and it's a fine sleep audiobook for fantasy lovers and for anyone with insomnia who finds it hard to switch off at night.

 

If you enjoyed it, you'll find more Lord Dunsany on Books at Bedtime, including On the Dry Land from the same collection, along with How the Enemy Came to Thlunrana and Alone the Immortals.

 

The Whirlpool was first published in The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories (London: George Allen & Sons, 1908). Lord Dunsany (1878–1957).

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett.

 

📱 Listen to Books at Bedtime in the Anchored app, offline and with the screen off, so you can fall asleep without a bright phone in your hand:

 

iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669

 

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored

 

🧡 For Martin's calming tips, visit: https://calminganxiety.org/calm

 

🌱 Try Thole, Martin's new health and wellness app, in beta on iPhone: https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N

 

Sleep well, my friend. And in everything, be kind.

 

 

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!

 

YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1

 

Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/

 

Music: All music by Chris Collins at Indie Music Box

Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.

Overthinking Other People's Feelings? — Guided Meditation for People Pleasing & Anxious Thoughts | Natural Breathing

 

Do you find yourself overthinking other people's feelings? A change in their voice, a short reply, or a silence that leaves you wondering whether you've done something wrong? This 10-minute guided meditation for people pleasing helps you let that checking settle, so you can care about the people in your life while making a little room for yourself.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett. Martin's Anchored app gives you over 2,500 guided sessions, Books at Bedtime, the ambient night light and box breathing, all in your pocket whenever you need them. Download it on iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 and Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored. And try Thole, Martin's new whole body and mind app, at https://thole.app

 

There's no breathing pattern to get right today. We simply notice the natural breath and drift into a gentle, trance-like state of relaxation. If you've been wondering how to stop overthinking what others think of you, you'll practise noticing when your attention moves into guessing, and letting go of the pressure to please everyone. You'll receive five affirmations for healthy boundaries and three daily caring tips.

 

⏱️ Time Chapters

* 00:00 – Overthinking other people's feelings

* 00:35 – Welcome from Martin

* 00:53 – Anchored: 2,500+ sessions and more

* 01:16 – Finding your comfy place

* 01:39 – Natural breathing, nothing to get right

* 02:37 – Drifting into a gentle trance

* 03:00 – Naming the worry, returning to the breath

* 03:27 – How to stop overthinking what others think

* 04:06 – Letting go of the pressure to please

* 04:43 – Five affirmations for healthy boundaries

* 06:16 – Drifting deeper with self-compassion

* 06:34 – Affirmations, once more

* 07:41 – Your 3 daily caring tips

* 08:49 – Gently returning to the room

* 09:24 – Anchored and instant calm

* 09:55 – Introducing Thole

* 10:47 – Take care, and be kind

 

🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations

Visualise the words, then repeat them silently or out loud:

* I can soften my overthinking, one breath at a time.

* I can practise healthy boundaries with kindness.

* I can notice people pleasing and give myself time to choose.

* I can care for others while respecting my own needs.

* I can let an anxious thought pass without treating it as a fact.

 

💡 3 Daily Caring Tips

1. Give yourself a little time: Before agreeing to something today, give yourself a little time. Try saying, "Let me check and get back to you."

2. Separate knowing from guessing: If you start interpreting someone's mood, ask, "What do I know, and what am I guessing?"

3. Ask what you need today: Ask yourself, "What do I need today?" Choose one manageable act of care: a quiet cup of tea, a short walk or a few minutes away from the messages.

 

📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere

You can return to your day with care for others and a little more kindness towards yourself. For more guided meditations for anxiety and day-to-day stress, and the free instant calm features for moments like this, download Anchored:

iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored

Or visit https://calminganxiety.org/anchored

 

🌱 Coming in December: Thole, Martin's whole body and mind app, blending food, diet, training plans, a barcode scanner and this podcast for when you're stressed. It's free to try now, and your feedback helps iron out the bugs: https://thole.app

 

If this helped, please share it with someone who's always looking after everyone else, and leave a 30-second review on Apple Podcasts.

 

Take care, my friend. This is about you discovering your best self. Have a lovely day, and to your soul, be kind.

 

 

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!

 

YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1

 

Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/

 

Music: All music by Chris Collins at Indie Music Box

Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.

On the Dry Land by Lord Dunsany — A Gentle Short Fable of Love & Old Age for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off with On the Dry Land by Lord Dunsany, a short, tender and beautifully written fable about love and a long life, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.

 

The gorgeous night hangs over the marshes, with all its wandering bands of nomad stars, and the first pale light of dawn is rising in the east. For many years, Love has led a man up and down through those perilous marshes. Now, as they reach the safety of dry land at last, Love looks at his companion and sees in the dawn light that his hair has turned white.

 

The old man sits down wearily on the grass, and Love tells him, "I will leave you now." The old man makes no answer, and only weeps softly. So Love, grieved in his careless little heart, tries to comfort him the only way he knows, by telling him that he was never worth missing at all. He is foolish, he says, and cruel, and the old man will be far better off without him. And still the old man weeps. What Love says next, and who comes up out of the marshes as the morning grows, Dunsany saves for the closing lines.

 

This classic short story for adults is a soft, reflective wind-down for a busy mind, with Dunsany's rich, musical prose, its quiet images of night and dawn and Martin's calm, unhurried narration. It's a lovely, peaceful sleep audiobook for anyone who finds themselves looking back on the years as they lie awake, or who finds it hard to switch off at night.

 

If you enjoyed it, you'll find more Lord Dunsany on Books at Bedtime, including Alone the Immortals, The Hen and How the Enemy Came to Thlunrana.

 

On the Dry Land was first published in The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories (London: George Allen & Sons, 1908). Lord Dunsany (1878–1957).

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett.

 

📱 Listen to Books at Bedtime in the Anchored app, offline and with the screen off, so you can fall asleep without a bright phone in your hand:

 

iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669

 

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored

 

🧡 For Martin's calming tips, visit: https://calminganxiety.org/calm

 

🌱 Try Thole, Martin's new health and wellness app, in beta on iPhone: https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N

 

Sleep well, my friend. And in everything, be kind.

 

 

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!

 

YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1

 

Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/

 

Music: All music by Chris Collins at Indie Music Box

Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.

Intro: Can't Fall Asleep Tonight? Let’s Ease Your Racing MindIf you are struggling with insomnia, lying awake exhausted, or finding that your mind simply won’t stop turning over the day's events, you are in exactly the right place. There is nothing left to fix, nowhere else you need to be, and no pressure to force yourself to fall asleep fast tonight.Welcome, I’m Martin. Drawing from my 20+ years of experience as an emergency services paramedic combined with clinical hypnotherapy techniques, I have crafted this deep sleep companion to work directly with your nervous system, rather than fighting against it. Switch off the lights, make yourself heavy and comfortable in bed, and allow my voice to guide your body down into deep, natural sleep.Time Chapters: Navigating Your Path to Rest
00:00 – How to Quiet a Racing Mind for Sleep: Directing focus away from nighttime anxiety.
01:21 – Deep Breathing Exercises for Insomnia: Activating the vagus nerve with extended exhalations.
02:03 – Full Body Progressive Relaxation: Releasing physical tension from the jaw, shoulders, and legs.
05:05 – Sleep Hypnosis Affirmations: Subconscious reprogramming for a peaceful mind.
08:05 – 3 Daily Caring Tips for Better Sleep: Practical sleep hygiene habits for tomorrow night.
10:00 – Hypnotic Sleep Countdown and Drift Fade: Transitioning completely into deep sleep.
Sleep Affirmations for Anxiety: Words to Drift ByThere is no need to repeat these sleep affirmations out loud or try to memorize them. Simply let these soothing words settle deep within your subconscious mind as your body rests:
"My body inherently knows how to sleep; it has done this every night of my life, and it will carry me there safely again tonight."
"I have done enough today, and I am fully allowed to stop."
"I am safe, I am warm, and I am exactly where I need to be."
"What is done is done, and whatever waits can easily wait until the morning."
3 Daily Caring Tips: Small Habits for Natural Insomnia ReliefIf you are still softly awake, carry these three small evening kindnesses into tomorrow to naturally signal your brain it is time for rest:
Close the Kitchen Early: Finish eating roughly three hours before your head hits the pillow. A body busy digesting remains too alert for deep, restorative sleep.
Cool Feet, Warm Core: If you feel too hot to settle, slip one foot out from under the duvet. This minor temperature drop acts as a biological trigger telling your brain it's time to sleep.
Move Thoughts from Mind to Paper: Keep a notepad right by your bedside table. If tomorrow's worries start circling, write them down to allow your mind permission to stop holding onto them for the night.
CTA: Deepen Your Sleep Journey with AnchoredIf tonight’s guided session helped soothe your mind and body, you can unlock a full library of ad-free sleep hypnotherapy tracks, panic relief tools, and advanced breathing techniques.
Download the App: Find permanent sanctuary and custom-tailored sessions inside Anchored whenever you need them most.
Explore More Content: Visit calminganxiety.fm to learn more about our online courses, techniques, and resources.
Focus on the rhythmic rise and fall of your breath, imagine drifting even deeper, relax, sleep deeply, and in your dreams... be kind.

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YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1

 Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/

Backing Music: Chris Collins

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Affiliate links to the gear I use the items that give me a more tranquil life.

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Items I use for a more relaxed way of life :)
Organic Pure Hemp CBD Capsules - https://amzn.to/3

Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.

Lobster Salad by Lord Dunsany — A Funny Short Fantasy Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off with Lobster Salad by Lord Dunsany, a wry and thrilling little fantasy about a very bad dream, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.

 

Our narrator is climbing the perilous outside of a vast white palace, high above the craggy tops of the mountains. There are no battlements or terraces to rest on, only the sheer face of the wall, and he is dressed in a night-shirt and stout leather boots. His fingers and wrists are aching, and he dares not look down.

 

That the whole thing is a dream, he admits, is beside the point. We have all fallen in dreams before, and it is well known that if you ever hit the ground, you die. Every boulder on the wall has its own different terror, and something is following close behind him. Then he comes to a great gap in the wall that he cannot cross, and he has one last, desperate idea. As for that curious title, Dunsany lets you work it out for yourself.

 

This classic short story for adults is a playful wind-down for a busy mind, with Dunsany's dreamlike prose, his dry humour and Martin's calm, unhurried narration. If you've ever woken from a nightmare with your heart racing, you'll smile at this one. It's an ideal short sleep audiobook for fantasy lovers and for anyone with insomnia who finds it hard to switch off at night.

 

If you enjoyed it, you'll find more Lord Dunsany on Books at Bedtime, including How the Enemy Came to Thlunrana, The Hen and The True History of the Hare and the Tortoise, all from the same collection.

 

Lobster Salad was first published in Fifty-One Tales (London: Elkin Mathews; New York: Mitchell Kennerley, 1915). Lord Dunsany (1878–1957).

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett.

 

📱 Listen to Books at Bedtime in the Anchored app, offline and with the screen off, so you can fall asleep without a bright phone in your hand:

 

iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669

 

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored

 

🧡 For Martin's calming tips, visit: https://calminganxiety.org/calm

 

🌱 Try Thole, Martin's new health and wellness app, in beta on iPhone: https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N

 

Sleep well, my friend. And in everything, be kind.

 

 

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!

 

YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1

 

Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/

 

Music: All music by Chris Collins at Indie Music Box

Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.